Electric welding apparatus.



No. 671,084. Patented Apr. 2, I90l.

H. F. A. KLEINSCHMIDT &. F. A. PHELPS, 1R. ELECTRIC WELDING APPARATU S.

' (Application filed Apr. 24, 1900.)

No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet l.

III J WITNESSES: MEI/Tans N0. 67l,084. Patented Apr. 2, I901. 'H. F. A. KLEINSCHMIDT &. F. A. PHELPS, .lR.

ELECTRIC WELDING APPARATUS.

(Application filed Apr. 24, 1900., No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

m: mums PETERS co, worm ma. WASHINGION, u. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

HENRYF. A. KLEINSOHMIDT, F JOHNSTOVVN, PENNSYLVANIA, AND FRED- ERICK A. PHELPS, JR., 0F NEWARK, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNORS TO THE LORAIN STEEL COMPANY, OF PENNSYLVANIA.

ELECTRIC WELDBNG APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 671,084, dated April 2, 1901.

Application filed April 24, 1900. Serial No. 14,202. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: ward the heads of the rails than toward their 5 Be it known that we, HENRY F. A. KLEIN- feet, it may be readily counteracted by shift- SCHMIDT, of Johnstown, in the county of Caming the points of greatest contact toward the bria and State of Pennsylvania, and FREDER- feet of the rails. In this manner we are able 5 K A. PHELPS, Jr., of Newark, in the county in all cases to produce a substantially uniof Essex and State of New Jersey, have inform weldingheat throughout the entire weld- 5o vented a certain new and useful Improvement ing area. in Electric Welding, of which the following Our invention also consists in the novel is a full, clear, and exact description, referconstruction and combination of parts, all as 10 once being had to the accompanying drawhereinafter described, and pointed outin the ings, which form a part of this specification. appended claims.

This invention has relation to electric weld- In the accompanying drawings, forming a ing, and more particularly to apparatus of the part of this specification, Figure l is a side type described and shown in the patent to view of that portion of an electric welder to 15 Richard Eyre, dated April 12, 1898, forusein which our improvements relate; and Fig. 2

track-welding, although it may be found useis a detail view, in transverse section, showful in connection with other electric welding ing the manner in which the contact devices machines and apparatus. are carried by the terminal legs of the welder. We have found thatinmakinga weld joint Fig. 3 is a detail perspective view showing 20 between track-rails by means of side or splice the lower portion of one of the arms 0. Fig.

bars (especially with wide bars) which are 4 is a detail view, on a larger scale, partlyin welded to the webs of the abutting rails there Vertical section and partly in side elevation. is, with the contacts heretofore used, atend- Fig. 5 is a section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4. ency for the bars and rails to heat more in The apparatus shown in Fig. 1 is in gen- 25 one portion than in another, so that one poreral similar to that shown in Fig. 6 of the tion is brought to a welding heat in advance patent above referred to, A being a stationof the other portions. This lack of uniformary transformer having the terminal legs A, ity of heating is of course aserious detriment and B the pivoted clamping-arms, which onto the operation and the character of the regage the backs of the terminals to apply pres- 3o sulting weld, and it is highly desirable to prosure thereto and which are actuated by plunvide means by which it may be overcome. gers 1), moving in a power-cylinder d The object of our invention is therefore The legs A are adjustably pivoted at a, mainly to provide means whereby the entire and are recessed on their inner faces to rearea of the welding-surfaces maybe uniformly ceive arms 0, arranged upon opposite sides 35 heated. We accomplish this object bya peof the joint to be welded and carrying the culiar construction and arrangement of the welding-contacts Cattheirlowerends. Each terminal clamps or contacts through which of said armsis provided atits upper end with current and pressure are applied to the parts worm-teeth c, which are engaged by a worm to be welded, whereby the points of contact D. The two worms are carried on a shaft E, 40 and application of pressure may be shifted having its hearings in the legs A and formed to any desired portion between the head and in two sections united by an insulating-coupfoot of the rails. If, therefore, in making a ling E. The portions E of the shaft which particular weld there is noticed a tendency carry the worms are also formed in separate for the parts to heat more rapidly, say, tosections, to which the worms are rigidly secured. These worms are formed with angular sockets or openings D, and the main sections of the shaft have angular heads E which engage said sockets or openings to form a rigid connection with the sections E in so far as circular movement is concerned, but to permit endwise movement of the sections E on the heads E under pivotal movement of the legs A.

F is a hand-wheel whose shaft has a wormgear connection F with the shaft E. The rear faces of the lower portion of the arms 0 are rounded, as indicated at O and are provided with concave bearings at A on the lower portions of the legs A, so that as the upper ends of the arms are moved the effect upon the contacts is a pivotal movement about imaginarycen ters located between their working faces. The construction just described also serves to hold the arms C in position to maintain the engagement with the worms D, since the shape of the bearings for said arms prevents the same from dropping away from the said worms.

W designates a rail to which the splicebars are to be welded, and N indicates the splice-bars.

It will be readily seen that if the handwheel F is actuated in one direction the upper ends of the arms 0 will be separated, causing their lower ends to turn on their hearing from the positions shown in Fig. 1 to positions wherein the maxim um pressure upon the splice-bars is below the center line of the rail-web, the exact lines of such pressure de pending upon the extent to which the handwheel is operated. A reverse movement of said wheel will move the upper ends of said arms toward each other and shift the pressure of the contacts to portions of thesplicebars above the center line of the rail-web. In this manner the heating effect of the current can be accurately controlled and uniform heating is obtained.

It is obvious that other mechanical devices may be employed in lieu of the worm-gear shown for actuating the arms 0 and that changes may be made in other mechanical details of construction and arrangement without departing from the spirit and scope of our invention. Hence we do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiment thereof which we have herein shown and described.

Having thus described our invention, what we claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patcut, is

1. In electric welding apparatus, the combination with contacts arranged to bear against opposite sides of the parts to be welded, of means for actuating said contacts to shift their points of engagement with said parts with respect to the center lines thereof.

2. In electric welding apparatus, the combination with a pair of contacts forming opposite terminals of the welder, and means for applying pressure thereto, of means for actuating said contacts to shift vertically their places of engagement with the parts to be welded.

3. In electric welding apparatus, apair of terminal contacts, and means for actuating the same to cause certain portions of the working faces thereof to approach each other, and other portions thereof to recede from each other without breaking the circuit therethrough.

i. In electric welding apparatus, a pair of terminal contacts, and means for e'lfecting a pivotal movement of said contacts to shift their places of engagement with the parts to be welded without breaking the circuit there through.

5. In electric welding apparatus, a pair of arms movable toward and away from each other, contacts carried by the said arms, and bearings tending to give said contacts a pivotal. movement as the arms are moved toward and away from each other.

6. In electric welding apparatus, the combination with a pair of contact-carrying arms having bearings at one end against relatively stationary members of the apparatus, and means for moving the opposite end portions of said arms toward and away from each other.

7. In electric welding apparatus, a pair of movable arms, terminal contacts at the lower end portions thereof, relatively-fixed bearin gs for the contact ends of said arms and means for moving the upper end portions of said arms toward and away from each other.

8. In electric welding apparatus, the combination of a pair of movable arms, a contactpiece carried by each arm, relatively-fixed bearings for the lower end portions of said arms, and worm-gear for actuating said arms.

9. In electric welding apparatus, the combination with the terminal legs and means for applying pressure thereto, of the movable contact-carrying arms having hearings in said legs at or near one end portion thereof and means for moving the upper opposite end portions of said arms toward and away from. each other.

10. In electric welding apparatus, the com.- bination with the pivoted terminal legs, and means for applying pressure thereto, of the contact-carrying arms in recesses of the said legs, contacts carried by said arms at one end IIO portion thereof, and means for moving the opposite end portions of said arms toward and away from each other, said arms having bearings against the said arms at the contact ends thereof.

11. In electric welding apparatus, the combination with the pivoted terminal legs, and means for applying pressure thereto, of the contact-carrying arms movably seated in the said legs, contacts carried by the said arms at their lower ends, worm-teeth on the upper ends of said arms, a shaft having worms en- In testimony whereof We have affixed our signatures in presence of Witnesses.

H. F. A. KLEINSOHMIDT. FREDERICK A. PHELPS, JR.

Witnesses as to signature of H. F. A. Klein schmidt:

J OHN H. KENNEDY, H. W. SMITH. Witnesses to signature of Frederick A. Phelps, Jr.:

WINsLoW ZELIFF, A. BELL MALGOMSON, Jr. 

